Messages - Kit B

A week ago, I posted questions about cold steeping & gravity.Thanks, to everyone that answered!

This week, I'm curious about color.Does anyone have some concrete information, about color contributions & cold steeping?Would it give the same results as mashing?Does anyone know what formulas can be used for MCU or SRM, when you're using cold-steeped grains.

of those you list I think only the chocolate malts are roasted below 350-400 and you will get some sugar from those but if you are using a lb in a 5 gallon batch that is a lot of chocolate malt and it's under 1.005 at 100% efficiency. at a normal efficiency you're talking at most about 4 gravity points.

To continue this discussion...I've been reading more about dark grains & their sugar content.Denny is indeed correct about roasted barley not being malted before kilning.However, roasted barley isn't the only dark grain we cold steep.In truth, there are some dark grains that are malted, before kilning.Some of these include:Black Malt/Black Patent MaltChocolate Malt (Simpsons)Carafa Malts

Here's what I know, for sure...The carmelization temperature of maltose is listed as 356*F.Most malted grains are roasted at temperatures between 350*F & 500*F (with some black malts seeing up to 700*F).Often, these temperatures will cause sugars to be burned, removing them from the SG equation.Apparently, each maltster may have different temperatures & roasting schedules. So, I guess I'll have to do some experimenting, to find out how much sugar is still intact in each grain type that I typically use.

Really?I mean no disrespect, but I have a feeling that may be incorrect.

From what I've been led to understand, dark grains have crystalized (probably unfermentable) sugars still locked in that were converted from starches, before the kilning/roasting process & shouldn't need any enzymes for conversion, as they have already been converted.That crystalized sugar should also be soluble & have the ability to contribute to the specific gravity of your wort, regardless of the temperature at which they are steeped.

I've been reading through A LOT of posts/information on cold steeping dark grains...Sure, we all know that cold steeping helps you avoid the harsh flavors & mouth-feels contributed by our dark grains...But, one piece of information seems to be missing from every document that I've found.The missing information that I've been in search of is:How many gravity points can be achieved, with cold steeping?

I see people throwing out statements like "Use twice the amount of dark grains" or "You'll get roughly 2/3 the amount that you would, based on 50% extract efficiency"......Wait...What???

Has anyone actually done in-depth assessment of what a pound of Grain-X in a half gallon of water would yield, after cold steeping?

Let me start by saying that I really, really love this magazine.I look forward to each issue's arrival with GREAT anticipation & enthusiasm.I typically read each issue, upwards of a dozen times, just to be sure I'm learning & retaining.I could honestly go on a rant, with huge amounts of praise.However...I'm observing something that I hoped would never happen to this publication.It's something that seems to happen to all good publications, once they become well-established.The advertisements are taking over the precious spaces that used to hold nuggets of pure, golden knowledge.Is this my imagination?I sure hope so...I hope Zymurgy isn't trading function, for fashion.That would make me sad.